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Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume IV: Memento Mori
Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume IV: Memento Mori is the fourth and final volume in the collection of short stories told by the Haunted Mansion's librarian, Amicus Arcane (who is credited as the author) and "transcribed" by John Esposito, with illustrations by Kelley Jones. The book tells the tale of a passing as the mansion's librarian prepares to move on, but not before choosing his ghostly successor. Summary Dr. Ackerman, a psychologist and therapist, is called to Shepperton Sanitarium to examine famed horror writer Prudence Pock, incarcerated after a ghastly encounter along Route 13. Prudence weaves a strange tale for Ackerman, recounting her invitation to a writer's symposium in the infamous mansion beside Eternal Grace Cemetery and her meeting with Amicus Arcane. Ready to retire, Arcane had gathered the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known to see who can tell the most chilling story of all, with Prudence a prime candidate. To prove to the skeptical Ackerman that her story is true, she recounts additional tales she was told while in the mansion. * In "Class Brain," lonely Shelley is a brilliant burgeoning scientist but a total flop with friends. Having descended from a long line of eccentrics, her unusual experiments are met with ridicule and - after using an electrical current to reanimate a dissected frog - suspension from school. Shelley's social luck seems to turn around when her old friend Hank comes unexpectedly back into her life, but Hank seems to have an ulterior motive: using Shelley's knowhow to help reverse a family tragedy and return life to his deceased brother, stitched together from stolen body parts and hidden in a secret laboratory... * In "A Pirate's Death for Me," legend has it that the infamous Captain Gore hid his booty somewhere on Displeasure Island, and obnoxious Chris is determined to find it after seeing a vision on a stormy night of a ghost ship and spectral pirates hiding a chest in a secret cave. Despite the rumors from the old lighthouse keeper that the treasure is cursed and Gore's restless soul will forever guard it, Chris manages to convince two friends to join him on the treasure hunt. After all, what Chris saw was surely a psychic echo, and dead men tell no tales... don't they? In the end, Prudence has saved her own story for last: in "Writer's Block," she reveals the whole sordid truth of the matter to Dr. Ackerman, and whether he likes it or not, he will have a role to play in this twisted narrative... Trivia * The premise behind a Victorian horror-story competition among authors is inspired by the real life story behind Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheus) where at a Halloween party this game was played and resulted in Mary writing one of the most famous and influential horror-stories of all time. Shelley is directly referenced with the protagonist of "Class Brain" being named Shelley and performing Frankenstein-esque experiments. * "A Pirate's Death for Me" pays homage to the unused Gore Manor storyline created by Ken Anderson while also containing many allusions to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The name of the story is in reference to the PotC song "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me" and the use of the phrase "Dead Men Tell no Tales" is also taken from the attraction. Captain Gore being said to have a lobster-claw is in reference to the PotC film adaption of Davy Jones, the captain of the Flying Dutchman. Category:Books